"My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Israel as they head for safety in bomb shelters throughout the country.

"Ironically, even as Hamas’ rockets rain down on Israel, President Obama has an article in an Israeli newspaper claiming, ‘Finally, peace is possible.’

“Even as we enter some of the tensest moments in Israel in recent memory, this President still fails to understand that peace talks will never work when Israel is the only party at the table truly interested in peace, while the Palestinian Authority continues to openly court and fund the very same terrorists who have, in recent days, kidnapped and murdered teenagers and, even today, rained rockets on innocent civilians in major Israeli cities.

“For too long this Administration has played the bedfellow of the Palestinian Authority, even going so far as to kowtow to the P.A.’s talking points, calling Israel an ‘apartheid state.’ The United States must now stand behind Prime Minister Netanyahu as he makes the difficult decisions necessary to fulfill his promise to put an end to Hamas ‘once and for all.’”

Last month, Congressman Franks was joined by Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in introducing a bipartisan resolution, H.Res 622, calling for the full suspension of US foreign aid to the new Palestinian Authority unity government with Hamas. The text of the resolution is attached.